Srinagar: The ruling National Conference (NC) as well as the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday (March 11) condemned the Union government’s decision to ban the Awami Action Committee (AAC) led by moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under the anti-terror law.
In a notification, the Union home ministry banned the ACC – a socio-politico-religious outfit headquartered in Srinagar which was set up in 1964 at the peak of the agitation over the holy relic (Moi Muqaddas) – for five years under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967.
The notification said that the AAC was “indulging in unlawful activities, which are prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty and security of the country”. It also stated that the AAC members were “involved in supporting terrorist activities and anti-India propaganda for fuelling secessionism in Jammu and Kashmir”.
The home ministry notification said that the leaders and members of the AAC were “involved in mobilising funds for perpetrating unlawful activities, including supporting secessionist, separatist and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.”
Citing four cases filed by J&K police in which Mirwaiz is an accused and one by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in which Aftab Ahmad Shah, Mirwaiz’s former spokesperson, has been named as an accused, the notification said the Union government was “firmly of the opinion that… it is necessary to declare the AAC as an unlawful association with immediate effect.”
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
